UK and the Baltic Day 28 – Stockholm

This morning we docked in Nynashamn which is a port town some three quarters of an hours drive from Stockholm. This is our 5th port day in a row and everyone is feeling a bit worn down.

Hopping a bus into town our first stop was at the Stockholm City Hall. This is the venue of the Nobel Prize Banquet which is held here every year in the so called Blue Hall. It was supposed to be painted blue but the Town Council preferred the colour of the bricks so it never got painted.

And following the banquet they have their ball in the Gold Hall upstairs.

The building’s architect was inspired by the Doges Palace in Venice.

Next off, we visited the museum that held the Vasa. The amazingly intact ship was completed in 1628 and capsized and sank only some 1300 meters into its maiden voyage. The problem was the king had ordered an extra gun deck fitted and the weight of these extra  guns carried high up in the ship had made it very unstable. It was located in the 1950s just off a busy shipping lane in Stockholm’s main harbour. It was still largely intact as the brackish water had protected it from marine borers. Divers dug tunnels under the wreck through which cables were passed to barges on either side and it was winched up to the surface.

The extent and detail of the wood carvings are mind boggling. This is a very good museum and one could spend days here.

Next stop was the Royal Palace. The bus unfortunately opened its doors and discharged us right into the path of a detachment of the Palace Guard and we were ordered to move in a very forceful manner.

As a palace, this place was rather poor and plain by European standards.

From the palace we walked down through the Old Town. It’s very pretty.

Up a little alley we were taken to see the smallest statue in Stockholm. This is supposed to bring luck if you leave a small offering and rub its head. It seemed to attract a lot of visitors.

We had lunch in a pub in the old town called the Bishop’s Tavern. The main course was, of course, meatballs.

After lunch we spent our remaining time exploring the alleyways and shops of the Old Town. I keep telling Jeanette not to talk to strange men but she never listens.

After stopping at a lookout we headed back to the ship. This is a fascinating town and Jeanette and I agreed it would be nice to come back one day.